Wild Harris

Beaches and Sand Dunes

Luskentyre Dune (Photo: Best Light Images)

Harris is famous for its long sandy beaches, with fine shell sand, and the sand dunes at Luskentyre are some of the largest in Britain.

Both sandy beaches and sand dunes have very little soil and so have very little food for plants. There is also not much freshwater for plants and they also have to put up with strong winds and high tides. However, wild flowers can still grow on beaches. They adapt to survive these tough conditions by having deep roots and leaves that can hold water.